"Yahahaha~ Big Sister. Our Yoshino is very timid, so please don't bully her."
Yoshino, knowing the truth, hadn't reacted, so Shiina had to answer Toujou Nozomi's words.
"This is..." Toujou Nozomi looked at Shiina with a strange expression.
Ventriliquism? Is she letting a doll speak for her because she's too shy? How interesting.
"I'm not bullying her~ Your name is Yoshino, right? Can Big Sister see your face? You're being a bit impolite like this." Toujou Nozomi tried to appear as gentle as possible, squatting down in front of Yoshino.
"Th-that, I-I'm really, so-so sorry."
Slightly pulling up her hood, looking at Toujou Nozomi's exquisite face so close, Yoshino shyly clasped her right hand with her left, placing them on her chest, and spoke timidly.
After all, meeting a goddess she had only seen on the computer before was like a fan meeting their idol. Due to nervousness and shyness, her small face was flushed, making one want to take a bite.
She just didn't expect that her current shy appearance would captivate Toujou Nozomi.
She stared blankly at Yoshino, not reacting for a long time.
Is this a doll? Is this little one's appearance a bit too dreamlike?
"So cute~" Toujou Nozomi said unconsciously.
This unconscious compliment made Yoshino shyly lower her head.
"Oh my, oh my, it seems Big Sister has also been captivated by the adorable Yoshino. Do you want to hug her and snuggle? Do you want to take her home and raise her? Our Yoshino is a very high-quality little... *muffled sounds*~"
"Shi-Shiina!"
A flustered Yoshino quickly covered its mouth. Yoshino felt her heart might explode from shame, her heart pounding.
"My, my~ She's really very cute." Toujou Nozomi's heart was itching, and she strongly suppressed the urge to hug her the next second.
She couldn't leave a bad impression on this little one right now. Calm down, Toujou Nozomi.
Taking a few deep breaths to calm her slightly hurried breathing, Toujou Nozomi once again showed a gentle smile.
"Why are you still out so late? There are many evil perverts out there who specialize in catching Little Lolis like you." After saying that, she made claw shapes with her hands in front of her, and Yoshino instinctively protected her chest.
"W-wahhh! What do I do!? Yoshino's chastity is in danger! There's a perverted woman who wants to *beep* our Yoshino, then *beep*, and finally *beep*! Ah!"
Shiina expressed that she thought she had met a good person, but it turned out to be a wolf! What should she do? Waiting online, urgent! Yoshino's chastity is in danger!
"(#￣～￣#)" Toujou Nozomi looked at this unreliable rabbit with a face full of black lines. Was it intentional?
"A-are you going to bully Yoshino?" Yoshino looked at Toujou Nozomi with some fear, couldn't help but take a few steps back, creating some distance between them.
"I don't think I did anything, did I? How did I suddenly become a bad person?"
"Alright, stop saying such things. It's getting late now. Aren't you going home yet? Otherwise, your parents will worry, you know." Adopting an elder's demeanor, Toujou Nozomi said sternly.
"..." Yoshino, who was still scared, lowered her head upon hearing this, bit her lip lightly, and her body trembled slightly. Shiina also remained silent, and the atmosphere suddenly quieted.
In her previous life, she was a shut-in, but she wrote novels online to help her family's finances. She wouldn't be like those shut-ins who spent their family's money without doing anything, adding pressure to her family.
It took her two years to slowly gain popularity, and during this time, her mother never complained, always encouraging her.
But now that she was dead, how sad must her mother be, and what would her mother do? A strong sense of apology arose from her heart, and tears involuntarily flowed from Yoshino's eyes.
"Why are you crying? Did Big Sister do something wrong?" How could this Little Loli in front of her suddenly start crying out of nowhere?
Seeing Yoshino cry, Toujou Nozomi also felt a bit bad. She took out her handkerchief to wipe Yoshino's tears.
But the tears wouldn't stop. No matter how much she wiped, her exquisite face would quickly be covered with tears.
"...Yoshino's family is no longer in this world."
The matter that Shiina had always avoided mentioning, had finally surfaced.
Shiina also felt deeply for her. After all, she wasn't the Fourth Spirit, Yoshino, who had no family. The current Yoshino had a family before, but she could never see them again.
"Th-that, I'm sorry. Big Sister was wrong."
Looking at the still crying Yoshino with a bit of pity, Toujou Nozomi couldn't help but think of her own situation.
Was it like being alone? But her parents were still in this world. Even if they weren't often home, she could still see them. But Yoshino's family was gone; she would never see them again.
"So, this child needs to be strong now. She's been a bit timid, shy, and has severe social anxiety since before. This state is really worrying."
Shiina sighed, looking at the crying Yoshino. It didn't have that perverted look; only worry for Yoshino.
"You!" Toujou Nozomi looked at Shiina in surprise. From earlier, she had thought it was ventriloquism, but now it seemed it wasn't ventriloquism at all. It was like a person... Toujou Nozomi was surprised by her own conclusion. Without any hesitation, she took out her tarot cards and drew one, but only a mist appeared.
"No information at all? This is the first time I've encountered such a situation. It seems things aren't that simple."
Her tarot cards had never
Looking at Yoshino, who was crying her heart out, Toujou Nozomi knew this wasn't the time to worry about such things. The important thing was how to comfort the crying Yoshino and help her stabilize her emotions.
"Don't be sad, Yoshino. If you keep being sad, it's not what your mother would want to see. You should live well and happily, then your mother in the other world will also be happy, won't she?"
Having made up her mind, Toujou Nozomi, imitating how her mother used to comfort her when she was little, gently hugged Yoshino and softly stroked Yoshino's small head.
Toujou Nozomi's words made Yoshino's delicate body tremble. She remembered her mother's gentle smile and her mother's care. Her mood slowly calmed down. She buried her head in Toujou Nozomi's embrace without speaking.
Looking at Yoshino in her arms, Toujou Nozomi watched her with a smile, holding Yoshino without saying a word.
People on the street saw such a scene, smiled kindly, and then turned to leave.
"As expected of Toujou Nozomi, the goddess who can encompass the entire Muse. I hope she can help Yoshino get through this," Shiina thought to herself as she silently watched Yoshino calm down after realizing the situation.
It was already certain that she couldn't go back now. Yoshino was very sure of this.
Toujou Nozomi was right; she had to live well in this world now. She was no longer that powerless otaku, but Yoshino, who possessed spirit power.
Gently pushing Toujou Nozomi away, she wiped the tears from her face with her small hand, then turned around to see Toujou Nozomi smiling and staring at her. Being stared at like that, Yoshino nervously lowered her head, not daring to look at Toujou Nozomi.
"Th-that, thank you. I feel much better now." Her adorable voice made one happy, and Toujou Nozomi felt healed.
"You're welcome~ Big Sister is very happy to be able to help you. But if Yoshino wants to repay Big Sister, that's fine too."
"Oh my, oh my~ Is Big Sister thinking of doing something embarrassing with Yoshino? No, you can't. Yoshino is still small, you can't... Waaah, waaah, waaah."
Before she could finish speaking, her mouth was covered.
"Y-Yoshino!?"
Looking at the person and the puppet making a commotion together, Toujou Nozomi chuckled.
Thinking that she had been living alone all this time, an idea suddenly popped into her head.
"Hey, Yoshino, why don't you come to my house?"
"Eh!?" * 2
This... was she being taken home?